Hi,
Hope things are going well for you. And I hope
you had a great Christmas if you celebrate it.
I know someone who loves to do those Jumble Puzzles. You know, the ones that are in the Sunday comics?
Where each word is jumbled and you have to unscramble it, then take the circled letters from each word and put them together in the right order to solve the riddle? People say I’m smart just because I have a degree from Yale, but I think this girl is really, really smart.
She can figure out this Jumble Puzzle sometimes in less than 10 minutes! And I sure can’t do that!
That’s like doing the Sunday Times Puzzle in ink, and those people amaze me, too!
Anyway, I asked this girl how come she’s so good at solving these puzzles and how she can do them so fast.
And she told me it’s because she looks for patterns in the words – like (-ing), (th-), (-er), (-ed), etc.
And that got me thinking…
I know it seems funny how I could relate the Sunday Jumble Puzzle to bipolar disorder, but it was what she said about patterns that made me make the connection.
Now, each person is different, which is why I list out all the signs/symptoms of bipolar disorder, as well as the triggers to episodes in my courses/systems:
SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
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SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
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http://www.bipolarparenting.com
HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net
So, since each person is different, your loved one is not going to have every sign/symptom of bipolar disorder.
BUT…
They are going to have patterns.
There are patterns to the behavior of a person with bipolar disorder.
These patterns are even chartable.
For your loved one, I suggest keeping a daily mood chart. There is a really good one available online at:
www.moodchart.org.
This records their daily mood, number of hours of sleep, whether they feel anxious and/or irritable, and even gives them a space to record their thoughts or any specific events that happened that day that might have affected them.
This way, they (and you) can notice patterns as they emerge, and get help before an episode occurs.
They can even print out the chart and take it to their doctor/psychiatrist.
For you, I suggest doing the same thing in maybe a journal or notebook.
Record the same things as your loved one would record on their mood chart.
Note any things you observe, like behavioral changes, mood swings, anxiety, irritability, change in sleep habits, anything happening in their life that might affect their mood, etc.
Take special care to look for patterns in their behavior (especially negative ones or ones that are out of the ordinary).
For example, if you note that your loved one has only been sleeping for 6 hours a night (the usual is 8-9 hours) and that this has been going on for 4 or 5 nights in a row, that’s a pattern you should be concerned about. Or if you’ve been noting irritability and/or anxiety for 5 or 6 days in a row, that’s another pattern to be concerned about.
Especially if you’ve noting in your “Comments” section that your loved one has been under stress, or that there have been stressful events happening in their life.
If you do see patterns like these emerge, they could be signs of an episode about to happen, so you need to take them seriously.
First, talk to your loved one about it. They may be noticing the same patterns on their own mood chart.
Encourage them to get help – to talk to their psychiatrist (they may just need a medication adjustment) and/or their
therapist about it.
If you find your loved one reluctant or unwilling to talk to their psychiatrist or therapist about these patterns, see if you can call for them.
But the worst thing you can do is to do nothing.
Left unchallenged, these patterns will most likely lead to a bipolar episode.
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David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.
Post responses below.
I find every day such help its not easy to describe- a feeling of relief and composure and sensibility -at the other end of reading an email.
this may seem strange for I am half a world away but, there is so much syncronisity in what you are writing and what is happening in my daughters life and my life. But maybe its not so strange Bipolar has universal patterns to it, and by crikey David you are unravelling those patterns for those of us who stumble on behind: I feel blessed that I have access to ( through my daughter’s searching on the internet ) a web site such as this one.
Bless you and all your helpers for all your hard work
Regards
Shona Rapira Davies
Well, now I KNOW why I’ve always pictured you in a tweed jacket, with a pipe in your hand – you’re a YALIE!! And I just thought you were extraordinarily cognizant about how to write your daily emails about the research you’ve done on bipolar! You have an innate sensibility for those of us who suffer with bipolar disorder, and you DO express yourself on OUR level, with no “talking down” at us – EXTRAORDINARY!!
I agree with the “mood chart,” though I’ve never started one on my own. This morning, I lost my glasses – and I mean, I REALLY lost them. I’m wearing my old pair to write this, and it made me really grumpy with my boyfriend. It also made me quite upset physically – I walked around like a mental patient – slow gait, downcast view, etc. – and still feel like a “fish out of water.”
The reason for the “fear” I have over losing my glasses is that during my first hospitalization for a full-blown manic episode, there was a female patient who said she lost her glasses. There was a complete lock-down – all patients had to be out of their room for 2 hours while the staff looked for her glasses. She finally admitted that she had flushed them down the toilet! This frightens me, because I was sedated with my night meds, and was sleeping in the living room on the couch, when I “misplaced” my glasses. So – the upshot of what I’m trying to say is – when I don’t KNOW what I’ve done with something – or can’t readily find it – I fear the specter of “mental illness.”
I am NOT “comfortable” right now, and this would be something I’d write in the journal. No amount of meds can overcome this feeling; it’s just THERE. Maybe I’ll get over it – maybe I won’t. The ONLY thing that will dispel it is – finding those damn glasses!
Hope you had a Merry Christmas, and Santa was good to you. I certainly had the BEST Christmas I’ve had since my first husband died.
BIG HUGS to all bipolar survivors and those who love us. May God bless you real good. I pray for my country.
Hi Dave
I sometimes wonder if you read any of the e-mails sent to your blog
site?. I hope you had a nice Christmas. Unfortunately the 25th is my
Birthday, So I just had my 61 day. I also am still recovering from my
hospital stay. I had a nice Holiday because I was able to spend it with
my chrildren and grandkids, Great dinner and time spent together. I am
blessed this yr. Hope your New Year has a great future and many
blessings
Dave:
In your email, earlier this evening, entitled, “Bipolar Tip,” you mentioned that you had suggestions to help get out of debt. At the end, you stated that readers should write to you if he/she is interested; however, you did not indicate an email address to contact you concerning that subject.
Please tell us how to contact you concerning “How to get out of debt” (without filing bankruptcy).
Thank you.
I have learned a lot about bipolar disorder over the last year from the emails and blog. I know the signs and symptoms to watch out for. It is said that “lightning doesn’t strike twice,” but here it has. Only 2 months after my boyfriend was discharged from the psych ward after a full manic episode, my lodger returned from a holiday a changed person. Normally very quiet and withdrawn, he was suddenly talkative and sociable. My boyfriend was the first to notice, commenting that “he’s gone a bit manic,” and it takes one to know one. The lodger stayed another 6 weeks, then suddenly left the house and disappeared, owing money. Nobody could get him on the phone until several people told me he had contacted them asking for money. 2 weeks ago he turned up here, wearing unusually colourful clothes, talking non-stop, telling very strange stories, looking very unwell. We know where he is staying and told them to keep an eye on him. My boyfriend is very concerned, knowing from his own experience where this episode is going to lead if the man does not get help. He spoke to his (bf’s) psychiatrist about him. The psych said there is nothing he or anyone can do. We don’t know who the man’s doctor is. We don’t know if he has ever been diagnosed with bipolar. Most likely he is not taking any meds right now and we fear that the episode will probably get worse. Because of rules and regulations none of us, not even a psychiatrist, can prevent it from getting worse, as we’re not allowed to get him into the psych ward even as an outpatient. He will have to be a danger to himself or others before he can be forcibly taken to the psych ward by the police. Likely he will crash.
SUZANNE, My boyfriend is forever mislaying his glasses and his phone, even when he is stable. He usually finds them eventually. I understand your concern though, since during his episode he was hiding glasses, keys and other objects in strange places and then never found them again. We all put things in places and then forget where, occasionally – bipolar or not. I have often enough locked myself out of the house when I changed coats and left the key in the pocket of the old coat. I hope you find your glasses. I often find something when I start looking for something else.